We have a 1991 compass shadow with a faulty handbrake, It seems to pull up ok and the mechanism sounds as if its working ok but the button doesn't seem to work to lock the brake on? which means thay in effect we have no working brake on the van either when we are towing or on site! Is this easily fixed or am i looking at big bucks? Thanks
Your caravan brakes should work when towing as the button doesn't have any effect when towing . If your hand brake isn't staying on when parked , it's likely that the button rod ( long rod inside the hand brake lever , which you should be able to see when looking up under the lever ) is bent , stopping the button from coming fully out . Probably just a case of straighting the rod .
If the handbrake does not engage properly when stationary then it will not 'lock on' if the caravan comes detached from the car when towing, if the brake works when you pull on the breakaway cable then it will slow the van down, I would certainly advise getting it looked at with some urgency, I think that as Wizard says it may be a bent rod, or faulty catch, if it is the ratchet then a replacement would be the best option.
Either way I would get a chassis service done and have them checked out properly.
STOP , a over sight on my part , but as Papa Pip has realised and I didn't , you should get your caravan handbrake repaired BEFORE towing , although the brakes will work there is an important safety feature that isn't going to function correctly i.e. the brakeaway cable mechanism , should the caravan become detached whilst towing the brakeaway cable will pull on the handbrake mechanism , but because yours isn't working I'd recommend you don't tow till fixed
Thought you was half asleep! Wiz, it actually took me a moment to realise that without the rachet stop working properly the handbrake would noyt hold therefore allowing the caravan to continue moving if the hitch became detached. Almost certainly if stopped by the Police or Dept of Transport they would insist on the van being suspended tow off the road.
with a non operational hand brake one of my main worries is even if they get to the site without incident and the field is sloping forwards and the caravan was taken off the hitch,it would start to roll forwards with the full weight of the van because the hand brake is not engaged.they dont work backwards anyway.i have seen this happen,although i was not involved it took three guys to stop it.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
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Topic: Faulty handbrake
